Absentees (Ember; Mentor)

[Requiem]

"Come on, come on. I want to be on time this time. Or at least in the right candlemark." Ximesk yawned contemplatively, as if he was actually considering getting moving when he was supposed to, then curled up into a tighter plump little blue ball. "I know, you want milk again, don't you?" An eye slitted open, but Ximesk made no move to get up. He hadn't yet received his breakfast milk. Ximera crossed her arms over her child's chest and eyed him right back, then poked him in the nose with Laddie. "I've decided. I'll bring milk with me, but you're not getting any until we get where we need to be." The baby blue considered that, too. Well then, he could use some more sleep. He hoped she had a good night.

Stamping her foot in ire, she hissed, "Ximesk! Don't you know it's rude? Always worried about others being polite and you won't even try to be on time. Very, very rude." His tailtip flicked. Almost as rude as trying to manipulate him? Their teacher wasn't going anywhere and probably didn't want to be babysitting silly little wherlings anyway. Doing Nautic and Nautsk a favor. The small girl sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Fine then. Stubborn." Bending over, she wrapped her arms around his forelimbs, grunting as she lifted the not-so-light wher baby. He dangled from her grasp, his hind paws just barely above the ground, and let loose with another yawn. If she wanted to carry him, that was her choice. He was still going back to sleep. "Yeah, yeah."

The tiny teenager waddled awkwardly, half-carrying and half-dragging her wher over the ground. It was good that they didn't have to go very far, because Ximesk was really already too big for her to handle for any long period of time. The bluewherling finally got him out to their pre-arranged meeting place - and only a little late, too - only to find that they weren't the only ones running late. "Where are they, do you suppose?" Likely sleeping, as he and His should be doing. Could he have his milk now? Ximera let him slide to the ground and leveled a tempramental glare at him. "I had to drag you. That so doesn't count." Why not? They'd gotten where they needed to be, and he didn't remember any other conditions. Ximera blinked in confusion for a moment. "You know what I meant!" Actually, he'd been certain that she meant what she'd said. She was going to lie to her beloved now? A small whine.

Ximera sighed and pulled out the bowl she used for his milk. "Honestly."

[Ember]

"Really, he couldn't have told me about it before tonight?" A young man asked the air as he bent to pull on a pair of socks. Eikane pulled on a pair of boots over top of them and reached for the shirt laying on his bed. He pulled it on and readjusted so it looked like it should before pulling a very warm sweater over top. He wrapped a scarf around his neck before checking in the mirror. Perfect except.... The Whermaster grabbed his brush and pulled it through his hair. When he was satisfied he turned to his gold wher and asked, "How do I look, sweetheart? Like the Whermaster I'm supposed to be?"

Eikask made a noise similar to a purr and complimented Hers on his perfect appearance. Nothing less from the one she'd chosen. She wouldn't have settled for second best. Her clutchsiblings really hadn't been thinking straight at all by not picking him. Granted, she would have just stolen him from them anyways. "Alright then, let's go Eikask." Why did they have to mentor Nautsk's pair? They had their own to mentor already. Eikane sighed. "Because Nautic asked me to fill in for him." Well fine. Why did she and Hers have to go to them, though? It was rude to make them go out of their way to mentor people they weren't meant to. "Ximera and Ximesk don't know their mentors can't go so we have no choice. C'mon, sweetheart, you'll get to see one of your lovely babies."

The gold huffed but stood up anyways and padded towards the door. Fine, fine. Nautsk and Hers owed them though. Eikane smiled at her thoughts. That was okay with him. He wasn't sure what Eikask would make Nautsk do to repay them but he had some ideas how Nautic could pay him back. The large feline watched his master walk towards the door before pulling himself off the ground and following after. Riker liked to just lay nearby his master and observe everything. The feline's fur had grown longer and thicker in response to the unusual cold that had hit Selenitas. Eikane wasn't looking forward to the shedding that would come with it. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd kept the feline. It probably had to do with Riker being a gift.

The three made their way to Nautic's meeting place with the pair he was supposed to be mentoring. Eikask noticed the blue and his handler first, followed by Riker. Eikane, knowing they were there, called out a greeting. "Hello Ximera, Ximesk. Nautic and Nautsk couldn't come tonight but he asked me to fill in for him." The three got closer and the moment Eikane stopped moving Riker flopped down next to the man and curled his tail around the goldhandler's ankle as far as it would go. "Sorry I'm late. It was a bit unexpected."

[Requiem]

"Ohhhhhhh!" Ximera dropped Ximesk, who settled to the ground in a small poof of dust, whining at her at the rough treatment. He soon forgot what had upset him so when his focus shifted to his golden dam. His jaw unhinged, tongue lolling, and his legs scissored wildly for a few precious seconds before he managed to roll his plump little frame back upright. His mother was so very beautiful! Look at her! He bounded forward, but pulled up short, his snout bare inches from hers. Beautiful dam, wouldn't she let him nuzzle her? Please, please, please? If His had told him that Eikask was the one they were going to see he would certainly have hurried over straight away, he insisted eagerly (apparently forgetting that they'd been first, anyway, and it wouldn't have resulted in his seeing her any sooner.)

For the little bluehandler's part, she'd already bounced up to Eikane and was looking up at the tall man delightedly. She clapped her hands. "I shall have to give him a kiss for this. So thoughtful, asking you to fill in when he couldn't come." Unabashedly, she reached up to grasp the end of his scarf and rub her thumb over the material. "Nautic made this, didn't he? You two must be very good friends! Oh, you must tell me everything. There are rumors...are you and Nautic really lovers? That's adorable! I don't know exactly how it works for men to be lovers. I mean, Mom said something, and my brother X'rx sometimes likes to share furs with other men, so I know it happens and all but it's just so weird and...oh, I'm sorry, but that's hardly an appropriate topic, is it? I'm just so excited to get to talk to a goldhandler, and you're even more stunning up close."

Ximesk nudged at the back of the girl's leg lightly, grasping the hem of her little daydress - she had on woolen stockings to account for the cold, and a long knitted coat that had once been her older sister's. He knew he wasn't all that good with the order of things and all, but weren't they supposed to be here to learn something? The handler blinked down at her wherling, then flushed, covering her mouth. "Oh dear, you're right, Ximesk. I'm so sorry Mr. Whermaster, sir. Here I am gushing all over you and we're supposed to be...I don't know, actually. But not this. I'll be good now. I promise." She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking from her toes to her heels and back again, a bright smile on her face as she awaited his direction eagerly.

[Ember]

Eikask was instantly pacified by her young son's reaction to her presence. Oh yes, that was how the others were supposed to act too. She was their gold, the most special one of them all. She was important she ought ought to be their focus at all times. She'd been too lenient on them thus far. She'd have to forcefully show the others, oh yes. As for Ximesk, the gold purred a quiet approval. Of course he could nuzzle her. Though she didn't show it, the gold had a soft spot for all her babies. Part of the reason was that they were all hers and could never refute that claim. The other part was she was a mother all the same. Most golds loved their babies. As the best gold, she of course loved her babies the best.

Eikane was quite amused by the human of the bluepair. She was a funny one. How young was she again? Younger than Dmitri, he knew. The goldhandler had made an attempt to know more about all of the wherhandlers and wherlings but remembering every detail was beyond him. She had apparently heard a fair bit about him as well. The man generally turned away from personal questions unless the other person was very persistent but confirming that particular rumour didn't bother him. Besides, she was quite innocent seeming and probably didn't mean any harm by probing questions. He chuckled at the compliment before saying, "That's alright. It's true that we're lovers."

Eikane was grateful for the young blue wher's redirection. Right, he was there to be a mentor, not just socialize. The young girl made the latter just a bit too easy. At the girl's formality he frowned briefly. "Please, call me Eikane. I rarely answer to my title." Titles. He'd had trouble with simply being called a goldhandler as well. "And we're all fairly new to this mentor thing. Even I don't know a hundred percent how I should go about mentoring wherlings. Why don't we start with any questions you have regarding what it means to be a wherhandler? Wher care, duties, those kinds of things."